Form for concrete construction



April 14, 1925. 1,533,960

H. WELLS FORM FOR CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 18, 1925 Z; :lia/@ Patented pr. 14, 1925.

UNITED sTATss MEN-'r ortie-E. f

HEWITT WELLS, `(3F WASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, ASSIGNOR. .TO WASHING- TON STEEL FORM COMPANY, OF WSHILIGTGN, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, A COR- PORATION OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

FORM FOR CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION.

-V application filed July 18, 1923. Serial No. 652,232.

To all whom 'it may concern:

"Be it known that I, I-Inwrr'r WELLS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Washington, in the District of Columbia,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Forms for Concrete Construction; and I .doliereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

In Letters Patent No. 1,445,374 of February'13, 1923, I have shown and described the manner of constructing reinforced concrete floor slabs and walls by the use of steel form plates of special design laid between falsework of wood jo-ists, the. steel plates being supported along their edges by narrow wood strips previously nailed to the sides of the joists, these pla-tes or forms being readily removed from below after the concrete slab has sufficiently set, the strips on the sides of the joists being first ripped off. The joists are left undisturbed and 25 support the slab and load above permitting rapid re-use of the steel plates and obviating the necessity of providing large quantities of such plates.

My present invention relates to certain improvements in the design of the metal forms such as are used in the construction described in my before noted Letters Patent. The use of Vthese forms on a larger number of building operations has resulted in a considerable saving in lumber and in time of erection over previously known methods, and by experiments and such extensive usethe details of the structural design of the forms have been improved so as to permit their use with the greatest economy of labor and a maximum eliiciency.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view in perspective of my improved form showing it in overlapped relation with a second form which is partly broken away. Figure 2 is a. longitudinal sectional view of two forms. Figure 3 is a cross sectional view showing the arrangement of the forms between sup-` porting joists.

As shown, my improved form is a metal plate 1 bent downwardly at its sides as at 2 and then inwardly as indicated at 3,

of these portions lis of the samelength as the plate of which it is a part, but theend 4: is cut away so that in positioning a series of the plates .appropriate overlapping may be secured without interference. Each of the plates is of slightly greater width at that end where its sides are cut away than at its other end so as to allow of the necessary lapping. To provide the necessary stillen` ing and prevent sagging of the form plates under the weight of the wet concrete each plate is provided with braces 5 which extend transversely between the downwardly bentsides of the form and are in spaced arrangement along its length, each end of each brace being slightly beveled so as to tightly fit between the sides. It is manifest that the braces must be of varying lengths. The braces may be held in position by ins denting or punching in the metal of the downwardly bent sides from the outside sufficiently to slightly penetrate the ends of the braces or stilfeners as shown at 6. In arranging the braces in position I place one flush with that end of the form which is to be overlapped by the next adjacent plate so that there will be a rigid support for such overlapping end, it being manifest that no brace can be placed at the end of a' form which is to lieover an adjacent form.

It is sometimes desirable, asd when the forms are used to support thick and heavy slabs, that the plates be slightly arched and this is effected by cutting the braces or stili'cners 5 with a slight crown at the center` as shown at 7.

The form which I have herein described is readily adapted Vfor use in the construction of flat concrete floor slabs, walls or the sides of beams and columns, and is so designed that it can be lapped to lit any span,

an arrangement especially advantageous in making provision for the extension of pipes through a. floor, the forms being shifted back on either side of the pipes, and the space through which these pipes extend being filled by a wood filler.

I claim as my invention:

l. A form for concrete construction comprising a metal plate having its sides bent downwardly and then inwardly, a portion of each side being out away near one end to permit overlapping with the next adjacent form, and a series of transversely arranged braces fitted between said downwardly extending sides and means for permanently fastening the braces in position.

2. A form for concrete construction cornprising a metal plate having its sides bent downwardly and then inwardly, a portion of each side being cut away near one end to permit overlapping with the next adjacent form, and a series of transversely arranged braces fitted between said downwardly extending sides, the metal of the sides of the plate being` indented to` engage the ends of said braces.

3. A form of concrete construction comprising a metal plate having its sides bent downwardly and then inwardly, a portion of each side being cut away near one end to permit overlapping with the next adjacent form, and a series of braces slightly crowned at the center and fitted between said downwardly extending sides.

4. A. form for concrete construction coniprising a metal plate having its sides bent downwardly and then inwardly, said plate being slightly wider at one end than the other, that portion of' each side at the widest end of said plate being cut away to permit overlapping of the plate with the next adjacent form, and a series-of braces fitted between the downwardly extending sides of said metal plate and slightly crowned at the center, the metal of the sides of the plate being indented to engage the ends of said braces.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

HEWITT WELLS. 

